COURSE OVERVIEW
Take your first big leap into the Industry!
The National Film and Television School is looking for talented filmmakers aged 16-19 years old to join our NFTS Academy residential course. If you're ready to take on a key role on a film you help create, then this could be for you!
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The National Film and Television School is looking for talented filmmakers aged 16-19 years old to join our NFTS Academy Residential course. We’re looking for 54 of the nation’s most promising young filmmakers to take part in a residential filmmaking project on which you will work with top industry professionals to make short films. You will also have masterclasses with top filmmakers and learn a craft specialism, such as directing or sound. The NFTS Academy is open to all applicants who have the necessary talent and enthusiasm.
The craft specialisms we cover are:
- Directing
- Producing
- Screenwriting
- Cinematography
- Sound
- Editing
- Production Design
More information on the craft specialism roles is in this pdf.
For all specialisms: You will first attend an online weekend of activities on Saturday 28 February and Sunday 1 March 2026. The main craft residential is then from Tuesday 31 March 2026 to Friday 10 April 2026 at the NFTS and you will stay at Moor Hall Hotel and Conference Centre nearby.
For screenwriting: There is a further element to your course. This runs on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 December 2025, where you will be writing the scripts for the short films. You will then take part in the course elements detailed above.
If you want to take part you must be available for the relevant dates above.
The NFTS Academy Residential itself largely takes place at two venues - the NFTS and Moor Hall Hotel and Conference Centre in Cookham, with excellent accommodation, facilities and grounds.
Online weekend: Saturday 28 February to Sunday 1 March 2026
The aims for this weekend are to meet the tutors and get participants used to each other, so that they can hit the ground running at the main residential, as well as establishing the six production teams in which the participants will work for the majority of the main NFTS Academy Residential. Teams will also work with their tutors on interpreting the script and agreeing a shooting script. By the end of the weekend NFTS production managers will have a clear idea of the requirements for the projects so that they can source actors, locations and props before the main craft residential commences.
Between the Online Weekend and the NFTS Academy Residential, participants will join a closed Facebook group to continue dialogue about the projects.
Main Craft Residential: Tuesday 31 March to Friday 10 April 2026
There will be a masterclass programme across the 11 days, where film-makers come to the NFTS to share their experience and screen examples of their work. NFTS tutors will lead craft specialist workshops and there will be presentations and panels on the roles of sound, art direction, the film business and marketing. Much of the work will be in six production teams, planning the short films and later going out onto location to shoot, followed by two days editing. There will be a trip to Pinewood Studios where big productions such as Star Wars: Andor, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and Deadpool and Wolverine were filmed.
Meals and single room accommodation will be provided throughout the NFTS Academy Residential, with minibuses to take teams on location and coaches between the conference centre and the NFTS daily. On the final day, all participants will travel to a cinema by coach for a screening of their finished short films for friends and family and industry representatives with an opportunity for networking thereafter.
To apply for this one-off opportunity you should:
- Be between the ages of 16 and 19 on the first day of the NFTS Academy Residential (31 March 2026)
- You must be a UK resident and able to commit to the programme for its duration
- Have a passion or talent for filmmaking
- Have evidence of this talent in online material, such as videos which you have made or to which you have contributed
- Be committed to a career in the film industry
- Have someone who knows your work and is prepared to write a supporting reference (e.g. a teacher, industry professional or leader of one of the network film academies)
NFTS Academy participants should come from a wide range of backgrounds and we actively encourage applicants on this basis, aiming for a good gender balance, a diverse range of ethnic groups and to include participants with disabilities. Facilities are accessible to all and all necessary support can be in place for the start of the NFTS Academy Residential.
PLEASE NOTE that this course is not available to students enrolled on Higher Education courses (including University students).
Applications for the 2025 NFTS Academy are now closed.
- Screenwriting – Application form coming soon
- All other crafts – Application form coming soon
Application guidance:
You should select a first and second choice of craft specialism when you apply.
All applications are reviewed by the Project Lead and by other members of the selection team with film industry backgrounds.
Early submission of completed application forms is encouraged and forms will be looked at as they arrive.
If you have any questions, please read our Q&A document in the left menu, or email academy@nfts.co.uk
Participant Activities
NFTS Academy Production Teams
Participants work in production teams of 9 members to take their film from script to screen.
NFTS Academy Specialism Workshops
Participants are supported in specialism workshops by experienced Industry professionals.
NFTS Academy Professional Development Planning
Participants are supported in developing their understanding of how to enter the film and television industries through a programme of dedicated workshops.
NFTS Academy Visits and Industry Experiences
Participants take part in a range of course activities, such as studio visits and location recces.
Academy highlights
As part of the Academy, you will also have masterclasses with top filmmakers. Previous guests speakers have included Edgar Wright (Baby Driver), Sarah Gavron (Suffragette), Dexter Fletcher (Bohemian Rhapsody), Laurie Nunn (Sex Education), George Amponsah (Gassed Up) and Alex Garland (Civil War, Annihilation, Ex Machina)
Star Imagine masterclass
Pictured (l-r): Star Imagine Directors and Writers Tom Levinge, Milly Garnier, Adam Pearson and Marcus Anthony Thomas with participants in the Oswald Morris Cinema.
